Office of Health Disparities Reduction Website

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Three quarters of new mothers gave breastfeeding a try in 2010, and mothers are sticking with breastfeeding longer, according to federal data.

Almost 50 percent of babies are still being breastfed at least sometime at 6 months of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's up from 35 percent in 2000.
The number of babies breastfeeding at 12 months also rose, from 16 percent in 2000 to 27 percent in 2010.

Breastfed babies are less likely to have ear infections and diarrhea as infants, and less likely to be obese and have diabetes as adults. But public health officials haven't always been successful at getting that message out. For instance, many parents don't realize that breast milk remains better for babies than formula, according to a 2011 surgeon general's report.

Hospitals are most apt to let babies "room in" with mothers in western states. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed for 12 months, and the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for up to two years.

And perhaps because breastfeeding is considered natural, many women don't get help learning proper technique and dealing with common breastfeeding issues.

Multiple studies have found hospitals and birth centers often sabotage women's efforts. For instance, one quarter of hospitals and birth centers give at least half of healthy breastfeeding newborns formula, according to the surgeon general's report, and almost three-quarters give breastfeeding mothers "welcome packs" that include formula.

The CDC's Breastfeeding Report Card released today says that hospitals should do two key things to help new mothers breastfeed: Let babies "room in" with mothers and make sure mothers have skin-to-skin contact with newborns.

Babies who are held against their mother's skin stay warmer and are better able to latch on and nurse. The number of hospitals where newborns were skin-to-skin with the mother rose from 41 percent in 2007 to 54 percent in 2011.

The number of hospitals reporting that babies "room in" at least 23 hours a day rose from 30 percent in 2007 to 37 percent in 2011, the report says. But that still means that two-thirds of babies are kept in a nursery or otherwise far from Mom.Shots Blog at npr.org

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What: The Medicaid Expansion Options Community Workgroup will meet to continue to explore the state’s options regarding a potential expansion of the Medicaid program under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.Why: The workgroup will receive an economic perspectives report as well as updates from individual subgroups. The full agenda is available here: http://www.utah.gov/pmn/sitemap/notice/171831.htmlWho: The workgroup is comprised of business, community and government leaders, legislators, advocates for low-income individuals and families, and other stakeholders from the health care industry.When: Thursday, August 1, 2013
1:30 p.m. Where: Utah State Capitol complex
Room 210 – Senate building

The American Hospital Association has created a new enrollment websitewith resources aimed at helping hospitals and other community stakeholders inform people about their coverage options and how to enroll.

Want to find out how your organization can help millions of Americans get health coverage?

If you’re interested in training your staff and volunteers to assist people applying for coverage through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace (including a State Partnership Marketplace), you can apply to be a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) organization.

The corresponding air quality conformity analyses (Air Quality Memoranda 29 and 29a) will also be available for the RTP amendments and the Draft TIP.

These plans, programs, and projects are subject to public review and comment prior to consideration and possible adoption by the Regional Council. The public review and comment period for the Draft TIP and proposed amendments to the RTP began on June 29, 2013 and will run through August 3, 2013. The comment period for the Wasatch Mobility Plan will run from July 13, 2013 through August 13, 2013. Additionally, much of this information for the current Wasatch Choice for 2040 Vision / RTP is available in our new brochure. The open housewill be held at:

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Salt Lake County Government Center, North Building Atrium

2001 South State Street, Salt Lake City

3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Further information is available on the Regional Council’s NEW, more user friendly website atwww.wfrc.org or at (801) 363-4250. Comments may also be given to Sam Klemm at sam@wfrc.org or mailed to WFRC, 295 North Jimmy Doolittle Road, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. Comments on the Mobility Management Plan may be given to Ali Oliver at aoliver@wfrc.org or at the telephone number or mailing address as noted above.

To assure full participation at the open houses, accommodations for effective communication such as sign language interpreters or printed materials in alternate format must be requested at least five (5) working days prior to the date of the scheduled event(s). Requests for accommodations should be directed to the Wasatch Front Regional Council Public Information Officer during business hours at (801) 363-4250, ext. 1116 or for deaf/hearing impaired persons, dial 711 to make a relay call.

Want more ways to get and share information about the new Health Insurance Marketplace? Connect with us on social media!

We’ve got lots of social media channels to choose from. Pick your favorite or join them all to keep up with the latest Marketplace news, get answers to your health insurance questions, and start sharing your story with friends and family!

YouTube

Visit our YouTube channel to watch videos highlighting important information about the Marketplace and featuring people like you who are looking forward to getting covered.

Many people have already shared their individual stories on our social media channels. What about you? Do you have a story to share with others about why it’s important to have affordable, quality health coverage, access to care when you need it, and protection from unexpected medical bills? Join the conversation today!

Section: WIC Work Location: Various Locations Throughout Salt Lake County

Important
Information:

Due to the
minimum requirements of this position, in order to receive credit for
education, licenses and/or certifications, applicants must submit photocopies
of official transcripts, licenses and/or certificates on or before the closing
date of the job announcement.

Transcripts
must show the major field of study and degree awarded. Transcripts may be faxed to 385-468-05470 or
e-mailed to recruitment@slco.org.

This
position may be subject to a criminal background check. It is
mandatory all new hires receive the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis)
vaccine before beginning employment

Position
Description:

JOB SUMMARY

Provides
specialized nutritional counseling, medical nutrition therapy and follow-up for
medically nutritionally compromised clients.
Develops, plans and provides nutrition education. Determines eligibility of clients in the
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.
Promotes, supports and educates breastfeeding women. Preference may be given to applicants
bilingual in Spanish/English. Bilingual applicants are required to read, write,
and speak English and Spanish fluently.

Job Description: Help Me Grow Utah Community Liaison (Salt Lake County)
Program Description: Help Me Grow Utah (HMG) is a free family information line designed to promote the optimal development of young children by

linking families to information and community resources related to child development and parenting

providing personalized care coordination

creating and facilitating partnerships within the community to improve the availability and quality of services for families

Position: The Community Liaison (Salt Lake County) is primarily responsible for increasing awareness of HMG through community outreach in Salt Lake County. This includes promoting HMG to healthcare providers, educators, service providers, and families, among others. The Community Liaison mainly does outreach by giving formal presentations, participating in community events, working in partnership with other agencies, overseeing networking breakfasts, and directing the activities of the Community Liaison AmeriCorps VISTA. In order to ensure effective outreach, the Community Liaison is also responsible for (1) developing a strategic plan on how best to expand HMG’s reach in Salt Lake County and (2) formally evaluating the effectiveness of HMG’s outreach activities over time. Additionally, the Community Liaison actively identifies new family-centric community resources for HMG’s resource database.Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in social work, early childhood, health promotion or related field

Community outreach, child development, or nonprofit experience

Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with an emphasis in networking and collaboration

Valid Utah Driver’s License

Access to a personal vehicle for use during work hours

Able to work from an office stationed in the Granite Community Center at 2500 S. State Street, South Salt Lake

Willingness to commute to Provo, UT for staff meetings at least twice per month

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite with the ability to learn new software applications

Position: The Bilingual Child Development Care Coordinator contributes to the goals of the Help Me Grow program by linking families and children to existing resources in the community and addressing parent concerns. He/she demonstrates knowledge and experience in all aspects of child development and family support services, including the ability to assist in developmental screenings. He/she handles telephone calls, enters data, provides child development information, searches for community resources, conducts follow-up calls and participates in other activities related to Help Me Grow and United Way of Utah County. He/she reports to the Help Me Grow Call Center Manager.

Required Education/Experience/Skills:

Bilingual in Spanish and English required

Bachelor’s degree in special education, early childhood education, child development, human services, social service, social work, nursing or related field, plus one year experience

Work experience involving parents or young children with or without special needs

Valid Utah Driver’s License and access to personal vehicle for use during working hours (mileage reimbursable)

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite with ability and skill to learn new software applications

Monday, July 22, 2013

Localities are seeing declining rates, but improvements are uneven among socioeconomic and racial groups

Health care professionals said during a July 9 forum that parts of the nation have shown some promise in reducing childhood obesity rates, but they noted the epidemic continues to affect lower-income children disproportionately.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that more than a third of adults and 17% of children ages 2 to 19 are considered obese. But at least in the childhood obesity area, signs of declines in those rates are taking place in numerous cities, counties and states, said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The forum was hosted by Voices for Healthy Kids, a collaboration between the foundation and the American Heart Assn.

“The good news is coming from places large and small,” Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey said. When I see that, I’m thrilled because what this tells us is we can reverse this epidemic. It tells us that we don’t have to accept 23 million children being overweight or obese.” The foundation has a goal to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity by 2015.

The issue has drawn attention from other national groups such as the American Medical Association, which adopted policy at its House of Delegates Annual Meeting in June to recognize obesity as a disease, and has launched a new campaign to improve health outcomes for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Reducing obesity rates is a challenging goal, Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey acknowledged. “Although the rates are coming down in some places, they’re still far too high. And the progress that we’ve seen has not been shared equally,” she said. Most advances in reducing obesity rates have taken place among white children in affluent communities, with fewer successes seen among African-American, Latino and low-income children. “Frankly, that’s not OK. The benefits of being healthy have to be within the reach of all of our children,” she said.

In late June, the Department of Health and Human Services re-launched its health reform websites for consumers,Healthcare.gov and Cuidadodesalud.gov. These were already the official health reform information sites, but now they are focused even more on preparing consumers for the Health Insurance Marketplaces that will open Oct. 1, and on answering the questions that consumers have now.

There is also a 24-hour toll-free consumer assistance number: 1-800-318-2596 (1-855-889-4325 TTY/TDD). Operators can provide educational information now, and enrollment assistance after October, in more than 150 different languages.

More new resources for consumers:

Like HHS, the Internal Revenue Service also just updated its website with new information for consumers and employers on the tax implications of the ACA.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a report [PDF | 293KB] on how the agency communicates the benefits and risks of medical products to health care providers and patients, especially underrepresented populations, including racial subgroups.

FDA has opened a docket to seek public comment on the report's findings and FDA's communication plans going forward.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Jeff Hinson, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Administrator, and Marguerite Salazar, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Director, invite partners & stakeholders to the second of a three-part series of teleconferences regarding the Health Insurance Marketplace in Utah. This call is part of the ongoing commitment by HHS and CMS to encourage public participation as it builds a new Health Insurance Marketplace in Utah.

This call is intended specifically for stakeholders in Utah where there will be a State Partnership Marketplace. We will give brief updates on the operational execution of the Marketplace including systems readiness, consumer support, and outreach.

The call will feature HHS and CMS Denver Regional Office officials and a representative from Avenue H, followedby time for Q&A. Speakers are:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took the next step in moving toward implementation by finalizing a proposed rule today outlining the standards for Navigators, the in-person assisters in Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces. State-based Marketplaces have the option of using this guidance or developing their own. The rule identifies training, conflict of interest standards, and standards for serving people with limited English proficiency and people with disabilities.

Navigators and similar in-person assisters will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplaces, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“If individuals request assistance and would like in-person assistance, navigators will be available nationwide when the marketplace opens. Navigators will be trained to play a vital role in fulfilling our commitment to help consumers learn about and apply for quality health insurance when open enrollment for consumers in the Marketplaces begins October 1,” said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

CMS will ensure that all consumers who need Marketplace customer service can receive it from trained professionals. Millions of Americans will be eligible for new coverage opportunities through the Marketplaces beginning January 2014. Navigators will provide accurate and impartial assistance to consumers shopping for coverage in the new Marketplace, including consumers who are not familiar with health insurance, have limited English proficiency, or are living with a disability. Grant awards for Navigators in states with Federally-facilitated and State Partnership Marketplaces will be awarded on August 15, 2013.
In addition to Navigators, Marketplace consumers will have access to assistance through services such as a call center, where consumers can receive help with the eligibility and enrollment process. The call center will also provide referrals to the appropriate state or federal agencies, or other assistance programs including in-person assistance personnel, certified applicationcounselors, and agents and brokers. The final rule also outlines the standards for certified application counselors, including training, qualifications, and requirements to ensure that they provide quality, sound, consumer-protective assistance.

In addition to English and Spanish, the call center provides assistance in more than 150 languages through an interpretation and translation service. Customer service representatives are available for assistance via a toll-free number at 1-800-318-2596 and hearing impaired callers using TTY/TDD technology can dial 1-855-889-4325 for assistance.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $150 million in grant awards to 1,159 health centers across the nation to enroll uninsured Americans in new health coverage options made available by the Affordable Care Act. Speaking at the Mountain Park Health Center in Phoenix, Arizona later today, the Secretary will highlight that, with these funds, health centers are expected to hire an additional 2,900 outreach and eligibility assistance workers to assist millions of people nationwide with enrollment into affordable health coverage.

Health centers have a long history of providing eligibility assistance to patients along with delivering high-quality, primary health care services in communities across the nation. Today, health centers serve more than 21 million patients annually.

With these awards, which health centers in all 50 states have received, consumers will get help understanding their coverage options through the new Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program; determine their eligibility and what financial help they can get; and enroll in new affordable health coverage options.

These awards, issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), complement and aligns with other federal efforts, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-funded Navigator program.

Today’s announcement is part of the administration's larger effort to make applying for health coverage as easy as possible. The new, consumer-focused HealthCare.govwebsite and the 24-hour-a-day consumer call center help Americans prepare for open enrollment and ultimately sign up for health coverage. These new tools will help Americans understand their coverage options and select the plan that best suits their needs when open enrollment in the new Health Insurance Marketplace beginsOctober 1, 2013.

“Health centers are excited to help individuals in their communities take advantage of the benefits of new health insurance coverage options that start in January, 2014,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D, R.N. “Having trained, face-to-face assistance in enrollment from trusted resources at local health centers means that more individuals will get the help they need.”

Recognizing the unique challenges that interpreting in the mental health setting presents to both the clinician and interpreter, the Utah Refugee Health Program within the Utah Department of Health sought to gain a better understanding of and address the specific challenges faced by interpreters and clinicians. Specifically, the project aim was to (a) gather information on the training and professional development necessary to prepare interpreters for working within the mental health setting and (b) improve communication between interpreters and clinicians with regard to addressing secondary trauma.
Using these findings, the Utah Refugee Health Program plans to develop and implement trainings, professional development activities, and curriculum specific to interpreting in the mental health setting.
Jelena Pasalic from the UDOH, Refugee Health Program developed the project with the name of "Training Needs in Refugee Mental Health Interpreting in Utah" and presented the project at the 7th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health held in Los Angeles, CA on June 23 - 27, 2013. In the poster competition among over 100 posters from all over the world her poster presentation got the 3rd place!

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Health Insurance Marketplace, a new way to find affordable, quality health coverage, opens for business October 1. The Marketplace simplifies your search for health coverage by gathering the options available in your area in one place. With one application you can compare plans side-by-side based on price, benefits, quality, and other features important to you before you make a choice.Every state will have a Marketplace. In your state, you'll use HealthCare.gov to apply for coverage, compare plans, and enroll.Learn more about the Marketplace and how you can get ready. And connect with us on social media! Signing up for updates directly or joining available social channels from HealthCare.gov is the best way for you to get and share information. Be sure to check out our videos, and tell your friends!Open enrollment starts October 1, 2013. Coverage starts as soon as January 1, 2014.